Baby is really slow feeder

nonnygirl

Hi-my DS has Downs( he is now 11!)-he was a very sleepy baby too and he never fed like my other 2 children.Try not to worry as he will settle down.
Have you got a local Downs syndrome support group or the national one may be able to advise you and give you reassurance.
Congratulations on the birth of your son -you have got many happy and fun times ahead!!

clairec79

There is a reflexology point in the palm of their hands, if you stimulate that (so your thumb in the palm of his hand rubbing in a circular motion) then it may help

I thought slowness of sucking was a trait of downs syndrome, this has some tips http://www.kidscanlearn.net/down.htm - in particular

<FONT face=Arial>Goal one is to change the position in which the child is being fed. Mouths must always be lower than ears to prevent milk flow into Eustachian tubes. The bottle position is altered to introduce the nipple from below the mouth, vertically encouraging a slight chin tuck. In this position the child draws the milk up the nipple predominately with tongue retraction. This position and retractive action prevents milk from flowing freely into the child's mouth. The child no longer needs strong tongue protrusion to enable swallowing. It is also important not to make the hole in the nipple larger.

choccybuttons

Hi

I remember feeding every 2-3 hours for the first couple of months. I found gina fords book helpful although her routines dont suit most people it does give great feeding tips.

angelicmary85

nonnygirl wrote: »

Hi-my DS has Downs( he is now 11!)-he was a very sleepy baby too and he never fed like my other 2 children.Try not to worry as he will settle down.
Have you got a local Downs syndrome support group or the national one may be able to advise you and give you reassurance.
Congratulations on the birth of your son -you have got many happy and fun times ahead!!

Thanks you! The local group is over 30miles away. We won't be involved with that kind of thing until he's a few months old as he's not really your so-called 'typical' downs syndrome baby so the specialist told us she would call us in a few months.

clairec79 wrote: »

There is a reflexology point in the palm of their hands, if you stimulate that (so your thumb in the palm of his hand rubbing in a circular motion) then it may help

I thought slowness of sucking was a trait of downs syndrome, this has some tips http://www.kidscanlearn.net/down.htm - in particular

<FONT face=Arial>Goal one is to change the position in which the child is being fed. Mouths must always be lower than ears to prevent milk flow into Eustachian tubes. The bottle position is altered to introduce the nipple from below the mouth, vertically encouraging a slight chin tuck. In this position the child draws the milk up the nipple predominately with tongue retraction. This position and retractive action prevents milk from flowing freely into the child's mouth. The child no longer needs strong tongue protrusion to enable swallowing. It is also important not to make the hole in the nipple larger.

We change his position all the time during his feeds as it wakes him up for a few seconds! We've learnt that letting his head lie back slightly is the best way to feed him as when he's awake long enough to suck, the milk just goes straight down his throat!

As far as I've been led to believe, slow feeding isn't always a trait. As I've said, he isn't your typical downs baby (although I knew the minute he was born something wasn't quite right) as he's not floppy and his tongue doesn't hang out and his muscle tone is excellent, he doesn't have any health probs (he can roll onto his side already) and he never had to learn to suck, he's just sleepy!

I'll give the palm thing a try!

dobbie82

My daughter was the same, I used to get her to take 1oz, then sit her up and wind her, after the 2nd ounce she'd be asleep, so i changed her nappy and might be lucky to get her to take a third ounce before she's fast asleep again!


Things will get easier!

She is now 9 weeks old and takes 3 ounces before falling asleep, and total of about 5 ounces. Takes a good half hour to feed her though.